GM Aldizog's page

Sorry, had to move everyone a bit to switch to a larger map. It shouldn't affect much.

The stern of the boat rests upright with the splintered hull breach angled toward the sandy ocean floor. A curtain of hanging kelp creates a screen of privacy around the entrance. Malakar brushes aside this screen to look inside.

Inside, the stern is decorated with the skeletal remains of aquatic humanoid creatures, arranged to form a sigil.

And, 50' away from Malakar, two Sahuagin stand ready, with heavy crossbows cocked and loaded.

You saw a scout swimming into the ship, so there is no surprise round - both groups were aware of each other.

Note that Sho is above the shipwreck; Malakar, Razor, and the Sahuagin are inside. Those outside cannot see into the wreck, as the curtain of hanging kelp is in the way.

Round 1
Malakar
Skorika
Fenna
Sho
Vexas
Scout
Brannart

When last we left our heroes...

They had arrived on the island of Ancorato as the second wave of settlers to the Andoran colony of Talmandor's Bounty. To their shock, the colony was abandoned!

The party explored the island while other colonists worked on rebuilding the town. After many adventures, they found two of the surviving colonists: Rayland Arkley and Eliza Haniver. Rayland was under the control of some evil force, while Eliza was apparently a willing servant of said force. Another colonist was discovered dead at Research Station Spindlelock, and numerous constructs were also encountered there - with Vexas making some slight progress towards learning how to reprogram them.

Soon after returning to camp, the party had an extended conversation with Carver Hastings. He revealed that he is a member of the Pathfinder Society, and that Society explorers have been to Ancorato before. Among other things, the Society learned that before Earthfall there had been "a vast conspiracy bubbling beneath the fabric of Azlanti society, the secret of which may still be hidden somewhere on Ancorato."

He asked the party follow in Durvin Gest’s footsteps and retrace his expedition using the Pathfinder Chronicles as a reference. Specific sites of interest include:

Silgil, your Chronicle sheet is updated with all the spells you requested except Aqueous Orb and Sonic Scream since I cannot verify those. I adjusted the purchase amounts.

@Atum - I see that one of your Chronicles grants access to the Insights of Far-Seeing Taernis. I believe that means Silgil can copy the spells, although he would need the actual Chronicle himself to get the spellbook with the preparation ritual.

And you found a Spell Lattice that contained Shock Shield and so could have scribed that.

The non-Core spells that I do not see specifically in your Chronicles (although I may have missed them):
Level 0 => Haunted fey aspect,
Level 1 => Vanish; Corrosive Touch, Gravity Bow, Crafters Fortune
Level 2 => Create Pit; Sonic Scream;
Level 3 => Aqueous Orb, Blood biography, Cloak of Winds
Level 5 => Acidic Spray

This Peach character seems to note getting Vanish, Aqueous Orb and Sonic Scream from you on their Chronicle Sheet #10. I'm not entirely comfortable trusting that they have all of their other spells legitimately, but I guess I will. Their Chronicle Sheet #5, whatever it was, seems to have been a windfall of non-Core spells.

Silgil already has Vanish and notes where he got it. He can copy everything else from you except for Aqueous Orb and Sonic Scream, since I cannot tell where you got them. Peach indicates they got them from you and you indicate you got them from Peach.

Silgil, I will update your chronicle sheet.

@Silgil - that will take me a while. I will need to see an explanation from Atum of where each one of his non-Core spells come from. I do not assume any nefarious intent, but players have been known to make mistakes in this regard.

It is one thing to allow a spell for a single encounter that you would have easily defeated anyway. It is another thing to allow a non-Core spell to enter the Core Campaign on a more permanent basis. Because Silgil can then offer it to everyone he is alongside in future missions. That is a significant number of non-Core spells; let me make sure Atum legitimately has access to all of them. In the event that he can only explain some of them, then you will just get those.

Slight update Tere - there's a new version in the folder with CORE stamped on it in red.

Chronicles are posted.

Please take a look and make sure they are correct.

(Silgil, you already rolled a Day Job check on the Recruitment page so that is what I used.)

Will get Chronicles done tomorrow.

Atum, I need your info:
Player/Forum Name:
Character Name:
Class and Level:
PFS# (and dash):
Faction:
Day job Roll (if any):

And, for everyone, I need a boon roll. 19 or 20 wins a boon, then roll 1d3 to see which one you get.

Boon: 1d20 ⇒ 14 GM does not get a boon this time...

So, there are a couple of ways you can get back. Word of Recall would get you back if you wished (I am sure that at 11th level Lasaraleen is "very familiar" with the Grand Lodge). If you didn't have that, Osprey would be waiting at the waystation with another Greater Teleport scroll.

Lasaraleen brings you back to the Grand Lodge, and from there it is a short walk to the Saucy Wench.

Osprey greets you and listens as you fill him in.
"Well done! Closing off that temple was the right thing to do. I suppose we don't need the stones to study - your notes will be enough, and we don't need the risk.
You gave Eiastor Wyrn a decent burial? Good, good.
Hmmm. Shame about Wyrn. He was a promising agent.
I'll have to check if he left directions and a deposit to retrieve his body. We have teams for that.
Other than that... how did the Mwangi Expanse treat you? We may have more work there in the future. Ah, the great outdoors."

If you brought back Lang, then Osprey will take care of him. "He'll be treated well and exchanged for one of our agents."

Actually, this is not Lang, but the Aspis leader Lichten, who was driven mad by the Succubus and believes his name is Lang; not sure of the reason for that whole substitution other than if you knew he was the expedition leader you might have killed him? Unclear.

You get the usual lucrative payment Chronicle Sheets coming and have no lingering effect from the stones.

I am posting on my phone the next few days and will post a longer wrap-up on Friday.

Silgil is able to dispose of his stone.

Lasaraleen buries Eiastor Wyrn and sanctifies the site.

Veshtahz considers hiding a stone within his mouth as a souvenir but thinks better of it. He already has two masters between Ahriman and Atum, and does not need a third, beautifully horrific though she may be.

Yes, I would say that a Consecrate spell would be of use. Would at least remove the taint from any stones already affected.

As to preventing further creation of such stones, collapsing the chamber (or the access shaft) could be done. If you are planning to rest here and regain spells for Consecrate, then a day's work would easily do it.

They have 20 HP, so the one that Doodle hit is Disabled.

At this point, it is trivial to finish the fight. You make short work of the remaining enemies.

As noted, Eiastor Wyrn’s corpse is currently chained to the altar, his wrists and ankles slashed open and his eyes and mouth sewn shut.

There are a number of small, black polished stones on the altar, similar to the ones that Silgil was carrying. Lasaraleen can tell that this is a site of ritual sacrifice. Eiastor Wyrn was the sacrifice, and the purpose was probably to instill those stones with the demonic essence of Sifkesh.

Recall that Osprey suggested he would like the stones. Or, specifically he said "If what we know about these stones is true, they cannot fall into the hands of the Aspis - do you understand?"

There are probably over a thousand pounds of such stones in the channels (the 'aquaduct," looks like a bridge or walkway through the water on the map). And, carrying them with you presents it own risks.

So what will you do?

Does Silgil have an action after he cast magic missile on himself?

Sure.

Skum Perception vs Tere: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20
Tere stealthily dispatches another enemy.

Caster Fort, DC 20: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16
The enemy spellcaster falls prey to the Ghoul Touch spell and is paralyzed.

Doodlevain and Silgil are up!

I'm going to say it's shallow water (yet another thing not clearly stated in the scenario...) so you can wade with no problem. I moved Lasaraleen to the nearest Skum.

Lasaraleen's phantom scimitar slices the caster.

The trapped Skum attempts to free himself.
CMB vs CMD 23: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Another attacks Lasaraleen with trident, tooth, and claw.
Trident: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11
Claw: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18
Bite: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9

Two more move to try to join the fun.

Round 2
Tere
Atum
Doodlevain
Silgil
Caster (Red) -24, Grappled
Lasaraleen
Skum (Blue -8, Grappled)

Their regular AC is 13, flat-footed 12, so Tere hits.
Tere Damage, PA, Sneak Attack: 1d10 + 4 + 6 + 2d6 ⇒ (4) + 4 + 6 + (4, 6) = 24

Tere drops his foe with his first strike and still has a move action if desired.

Atum grapples both the caster and another skum with Black Tentacles.

Silgil transforms into an air elemental and moves above two of the other Skum.

The enemy caster looks to Silgil. "Hurt yourself. Badly." Despite the fact that the stone he carries is in an extradimensional space that is merged with his elemental body, Silgil feels compelled to do so by the lingering evil of the demonic presence.
Make a Will save at -8; DC 17 (a plot-device spell effect so I will say Hardy applies). If you fail, attack yourself with your most damaging spell or ability, which in this case is just a slam. Rules are unclear on the ability, and a DC isn't even given, but say he just needs to speak and it's not technically an SLA, so I'm going to let him do it as a free action even when grappled - it is kind of important plot-wise that he gets to use this ability and he'll be dead very soon.

Then he attempts to break free from the tentacles, but fails.
CMB vs CMD 23: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17

Round 1
Tere
Atum
Doodlevain
Silgil - Will save DC 17 (at a -8)
Caster (Red) -8, Grappled
Lasaraleen
Skum (Blue -8, Grappled)

Round 1
Tere
Atum
Doodlevain - Cast Haste
Silgil
Caster
Lasaraleen
Skum

Damn, I was sure I posted. Is this an atrium or a balcony over the water? Likely Aum will vape to the left to stand over the atrium. Vesh will likely fly with me for know

What you see on the map are just channels for the water to flow.

"Water trickles endlessly through the cavern, transported by slender channels carved into the surrounding formations..."

The bottom of the cavern is shallow water (again, scenario doesn't say, just a judgment call) so not difficult terrain.

Let's say that the surprise round begins when you are 30' above them in the shaft, so you can move into position during that round and then act in the first full round of combat.

You can place up to four of you in the outlined box, with the other PC above you.

Round 1
Tere
Atum
Doodlevain
Silgil
Caster
Lasaraleen
Skum

@Silgil - the chasm is about 100' across, so 1 round (double move at 60' Fly speed). No Climb checks needed for the ladder unless you are attacked. This is a very crude ladder, so DC may be a bit higher than 5, but Silgil can hit DC 10 on a Take 10 (I am not one of those GMs who interprets the 'threatened or distracted' clause of Take 10 to include the risk of falling - I interpret 'threatened or distracted' to mean 'you would need a Concentration check to cast a spell').

Tere detects no traps on the ladder.

There is an optional encounter with fiendish bats, which would make Climb checks more salient, but I will skip if for time. You casters who enjoy burning through your spell slots can thank me later.

It is not much trouble to get down the slope with the various means you have identified - mark off any spells slots used.

Lasaraleen - Ring of Feather Falling
Tere - ladder
Doodle - Fly spell
Silgil - ladder, with Air Elemental form as backup
Atum - ??

Atum has said he is willing to be carried by an air elemental, but then someone would need to summon one.

Once we have that figured out, we'll move on to the final fight.

Your scouting reports that there are enemies near the bottom of the shaft - map updated.

The Arcane Eye and Veshtahz together reveal the following...

At the base of the first megalith there is an overgrown alcove covered in hundreds of runes, their origins and meaning lost to time.
The Div, drawing on Atum's skill ranks, excitedly reports that ancient shamans must have this site when they came to the Drowning Stones to pay tributes and sacrifices to Sifkesh. Blood sacrifices! The best kind!

The Div also spot a small, concealed tube constructed of lead and stone and sunk into the ground. This tube, locked for centuries, contains a handy haversack holding a bottle of air and a set of ancient Taldan maps showing nearby areas marked for territorial expansion. The maps bear dozens of handwritten notes and scribbling concerning the locations of various troops, allies, and points of interest. Taldan faction mission.

At the base of the second megalith is a hollow passage to the temple below. Inside the hollow, a 15-foot-wide shaft descends 60 feet down a steep slope—it is completely dark inside. The shaft walls are slimy and smooth.

At the bottom of the sloped shaft there is a 20-foot-by-20-foot slimy rock shelf, upon which a massive floor inlay depicts a golden ring engraved with ominous runes surrounding a pair of feminine hands, bound together with the wrists slashed. Veshtahz is excited to find this inlay, the unholy symbol of the demon lord Sifkesh. Isn't it beautiful, Master?

From the shelf, the Arcane Eye spots a sink, a natural shaft that drops almost 200 feet into the Darklands. There is a series of wooden spikes driven into holes along the face of the pit, creating a crude ladder for you to climb down.

The gaping sink empties into a large, murky cavern.

Deposits of calcite and other minerals create a forest of gleaming rock that rises from the sludge like an alien citadel. Towering and ancient, the cave formations are entirely scarred and chiseled with a variety of fishlike carvings. In the center of the cavern stands a huge stalagmite, over 5 feet in circumference, with its crown shorn off. Carved into its exterior, dozens of eels coil up the stalagmite, their fanged mouths agape. Water trickles endlessly through the cavern, transported by slender channels carved into the surrounding formations. These empty into large stone basins near the back of the cavern that rest at the base of a statue of a thin human woman with bird wings and stringy hair. Her eyes and mouth are sewn shut with wire and her wrists, ankles, hips, wings, shoulders, and neck all bear horrible gashes. This statue is a representation of the demon lord Sifkesh.

Piles of smooth black stones lie around the statue. The entire cavern is unlit, though some moss growing on the walls near the statue gives off a very faint greenish glow (dim light). The stalagmite serves as an unholy altar to Sifkesh, its shorn top polished smooth and engraved with abyssal prayers encircling a deep hollow font filled with brackish unholy water.

Eiastor Wyrn’s corpse is currently chained to the altar, his wrists and ankles slashed open and his eyes and mouth sewn shut as a bloody sacrifice to the demon lord.

Seven skum are at in the chamber; six are unarmored but carry tridents, while one wears a bone breastplate and appears to be chanting over the Pathfinder's corpse. That is why Atum's Scrying spell never worked; the Pathfinder was dead already.

So: sloped slimy passage down to rock shelf; then 200' drop down to the temple below, which you could either Feather Fall or use the crude ladder. Then at the bottom, a temple with seven skum including an apparent caster.

There should be enough time; the Arcane Eye will take a while to scout.

I will post tonight what it reveals.

So what is the plan for getting across? You have several options, just need to know what spell slots you are using. Atum can't get everyone with Dimension Door but he can get 2 others, I think.

@Lasaraleen - I don't think you can get quite that close to the Succubus, even Hasted, because you ascend at half speed even with Air Walk. So a single Hasted move is basically a single regular move, or 30'. But it doesn't really matter so I will have you be there.

The succubus flies away and then teleports.

Lasaraleen AOO, +1 Adamant scimitar, big, haste: 1d20 + 10 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 10 + 1 = 29
Confirm?: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (4) + 11 = 15
dmg: 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12 2 after DR.

The succubus goes who knows where - possibly to find an ally to heal her, or just a place of safety to try Heal checks on herself.

Although she is only supposed to teleport away if reduced to 10 HP, it is permissible for GMs to change enemies' tactics if the players' actions render them unviable. In this case, it would be a very long game of cat-and-mouse with her teleporting around, using SLAs, draining your spell slots and eating up tons of time.

The other two enemies are easily disposed of - the babau vanishes in a few rounds if you haven't slain it by then.

Each skum had a +1 trident, +1 leather, and 150 gp. One of them had not yet used its potion of cure moderate wounds. The other had a decomposed human head in a bag.

You again hear the loud rush of water nearby as the many waters that flow into the Drowning Stones plummet into the hidden depths below. It takes about half an hour to get to the falls.

A low-rolling fog creeps from a clearance in the jungle ahead. A small, mist-filled gorge splits the landscape. Shallow waterfalls spill over the steep palisades, fed by runoff from brooks and other trickling waters that snake through the humid jungles. From out of the ravine below climb twin stone megaliths carved into vaguely humanoid shapes. Their eroded faces turn upward so their gaping mouths fill with water. Badly weathered, the craftsmanship and culture is beyond recognition. About fifty feet below, amid dried, broken branches and other detritus, hundreds of cracked bones litter the misty ravine floor.

Map is up (side view) on last slide.

The Drowning Stones rise about 40 feet from the ravine floor, just below the cliff edge on the north side (the side opposite the PCs). The gorge is relatively narrow, approximately 100 feet across.

How are you all getting across? Lasaraleen's Air Walk is still active but Righteous Might is not.

Silgil vs SR, Spell Penetration: 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 8 + 2 = 13

Silgil's spell fails to affect the succubus.

Tere lands a telling blow. 17 damage after DR.

Babau vs orb: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15
NL: 2d6 ⇒ (3, 5) = 8
Babau vs orb: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21 DC is 22?

Skum: 1d20 ⇒ 1 I don't have the scenario with me but I think their Ref is around +4 or so.
NL: 2d6 ⇒ (2, 5) = 7
Skum: 1d20 ⇒ 11

Two foes are engulfed by Atum's spell.

The skum attempts to escape.
1d20 ⇒ 1

The babau attempts to escape.
1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

The succubus realizes she is in real trouble with the Bleed damage. She uses Withdraw, taking to the air (now 20' up).

Round 7
Succubus -28, 7 NL, bleed 2
Babau -22, 8 NL, engulfed
Tere -11
Lasaraleen
Atum
Silgil
Doodlevain
Skum -11, 7 NL, engulfed

Doodlevain drops one of the Skum!

Atum conjures his Aqueous Orb and targets the Succubus.
Succubus Reflex vs Damage: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11
NL Damage: 2d6 ⇒ (6, 1) = 7
Succubus Reflex vs Engulfed: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27
She takes some damage from the bludgeoning water, but escapes being swallowed up by the orb.

Lasaraleen's spell affects both fiends.
Hit the Babau's SR exactly.

Succubus Will: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19 9 damage, not blinded
Babau Will: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13 19 damage, blinded 1 round
White Skum Will: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6 26 damage, blinded 1 round
Red Skum Will: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14 26 damage, blinded 1 round

Silgil follows up with his spell.
Succubus Will: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26 Pass
Babau Will: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17 Fail
White Skum Will: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23 Pass
Red Skum Will: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18 Fail

Babau Confusion: 1d100 ⇒ 70
Red Skum Confusion: 1d100 ⇒ 29

One Skum babbles incoherently.

The other draws and drinks a potion.
CMW: 2d8 + 3 ⇒ (8, 4) + 3 = 15

The Babau attacks himself.

Damage: 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7
But... he does not bypass his own DR, so it is not effective.

The Succubus vanishes, and reappears next to Atum!

Round 6
Succubus -9, 7 NL
Babau -22, blinded 1 round
Tere -11
Lasaraleen -9
Atum
Silgil
Doodlevain
White Skum -11, blinded 1 round
Red Skum -26, blinded 1 round, confused

Oh yes, the Pit spells. I repeat myself...

Clearly this is one of those spells that they added after Core because they thought Conjuration needed a boost... ??

That's fine, Atum. I'll just have to trust that this other player legitimately had it.

Clearly this is one of those spells that they added after Core because they thought Conjuration needed a boost... ??

Oh yes, right, Doodle is a gnome. She is back to Medium-sized now.

Veshtahz debates. The pretty demon lady asked him to come closer, but Master wants him to come back.

This might be an opposed Charisma check that Atum would probably fail, but...

The annoying holy priestess zealot is now gigantic and coming near him. This is enough to convince the fiend to go running back to Master.

Holy smite away! Please roll for SR, and roll the separate damage for the evil outsiders and the evil non-outsiders.

Doodle is now Enlarged and moved.

@Atum, from where you are, you do not have line of sight to the enemies. Do you wish to move? If so, where? With moving and casting, you can only catch 1 enemy this round (it takes a move action to move the Orb).

And, Aqueous Orb is a non-Core spell. Can you confirm that you got access through a Chronicle sheet?

One Skum picks up his trident and throws it at Lasaraleen, hitting her.
Ranged Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26
Damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14
9 damage after the DR/evil from Righteous Might, I believe.

The other moves up provoking an AOO and stabs at Larasaleen, missing.
Melee Attack: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (8) + 12 = 20
Damage: 1d8 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15

The succubus considers giving Veshtahz a kiss, but on seeing the giant cleric she thinks better of it. She steps back and speaks to Lasaraleen.

"It's so hot in the jungle. Why don't you lie down and take a rest?"

This would require a Will save, but I believe the Magic Circle Against Evil protects against Suggestion.

The Babau tries to Dispel Lasaraleen's Righteous Might, to no avail.
Dispel: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

Round 5
Succubus
Babau -3
Tere -11
Lasaraleen -9
Atum
Silgil
Doodlevain
Skum

Reflex DC 19: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23 The Babau dodges the pit.
For a stealthy assassin-type demon, it has a pretty mediocre Dex (13) and Reflex save (+6). Dex is actually its lowest ability score.

Lasaraleen cannot see the Succubus there is no line of sight.

The Doru's Charm Person has no effect on the Skum. Monstrous humanoids are not affected by the spell. Still, in the course of following the Skum, Veshtahz finds the Succubus.

"Here she is, Master!"

The Skum hurls his trident at Veshtahz - as does another one in the same area.

Ranged Trident: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20
Damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

Ranged Trident: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22
Damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

Both miss; one Skum then picks up his trident, while the other moves into position to do so.

The Succubus shouts to her comrades "Leave him be!" and looks to Veshtahz, "won't you come down here and talk to me as a friend?"

Automatically beats his SR 13.
Will save, in combat: 1d20 + 7 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 7 + 5 = 17
Veshtahz thinks this is a really good idea...

Through the Div's Telepathy, Atum "hears" Master, shall we ally with her and betray the Society? She is much prettier than Lasaraleen or Doodlevain.

@Atum, do you want to use a reroll for Veshtahz (if you have one)?

The Babau uses Withdraw.
You all are up!

Round 4
Succubus
Babau -3
Tere -11
Lasaraleen
Atum
Silgil
Doodlevain
Skum

Had a busy holiday weekend and am on my phone now. Will update tonight.

Perception: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (19) + 19 = 38
It does see him, so no Sneak Attack.

Tere's blade proves marignally effective against the demon.

3 damage after DR.

The blade is momentarily stuck to the acidic slime on the creature's skin.

Please make a DC 18 Reflex save, Tere. The 1d8 acid damage won't penetrate your sword's Hardness, so it's really just for flavor.

The Skum runs off to the north.

An emaciated demon wielding a longspear bursts from the jungle!

Does it see Tere?: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (14) + 19 = 33
Yes it does.

Attack vs Tere: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (19) + 12 = 31
Damage: 1d8 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

Tere is stabbed for 11 damage.

Silgil and Atum recognize this as a babau demon - often known for stealth and ambushes, but in this case it has chosen a straightforward attack.

If it was summoned, Larasaleen's Magic Circle Against Evil should keep it at bay, but it is outside the area of effect (it has a longspear).

Round 3
Succubus
Babau
Tere -11
Lasaraleen
Atum
Silgil
Doodlevain
Skum

No, just waiting on the rest of the party to post.
I may just bot them to delay and move things ahead.

A creature runs out to where the "mermaid" had been, trident in hand.
It looks vaguely confused.

Knowledge (Nature) DC 12 to identify this as a Skum. No real special abilities to speak of.

01-50: 1d100 ⇒ 42 Something else happens.

Round 2
Succubus
Tere
Lasaraleen
Atum
Silgil
Doodlevain
Skum

@Tere - yes. The wide path that you are on has normal light (you can see some difference in shading on the map) but it is dim light everywhere else due to the jungle canopy.

Tere is up.

@Atum, we are still in rounds. Go ahead and take your turn, and remember to roll Veshtahz's save to shake off the blindness for this round.

---=== Surprise Round ===---
Atum showers the area with glitter.
Succubus Will: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18
The Succubus is blinded.

Veshtahz Will: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19 It uses Atum's saves?
As is the Doru div.

---=== Round 1 ===---
The succubus vanishes.
Atum Spellcraft, 55': 1d20 + 19 - 5 ⇒ (9) + 19 - 5 = 23
Atum knows that she could not have gone Invisible, because of the Glitterdust, but just barely manages to recognize her vanishing as a Greater Teleport effect.

Succubus
Tere
Lasaraleen
Atum
Silgil
Doodlevain
??

@Atum, there was no opportunity to be further than 50' away and still have line of effect to anything. Also, Veshtahz's surprise round action was to try to bite the mermaid. Yes, I missed that he was supposed to be invisible, but she can't hurt him so it's sort of a moot point. In any event he would become visible after attacking so she sees him right now. He can turn invisible and fly away on your Round 1 turn.

Also, spell-like abilities cannot be Counterspelled, and Atum knows that is what the Succubus has (she does not cast spells the way you do). SLAs can be Dispelled after they are cast, however. Is that what you wish to do? Ready to cast Dispel Magic if she uses an SLA on anyone?

Round 1
Succubus (waiting on Atum's clarification for his readied action)
Tere
Lasaraleen
Atum
Silgil
Doodlevain
??

Veshtahz approaches, and just as he is close enough to touch her the "mermaid" suddenly changes form!

The transition from out of combat to in combat is always awkward. Here, none of you could have possibly made the Sense Motive check to realize that the mermaid was lying, and even so Atum decided that she was lying and that he would initiate combat. So I will give a surprise round to Atum and the mermaid, and the rest of you can come in next round. Veshtahz will go on Atum's turn.

The mermaid (as a standard action in the surprise round) changes before your eyes into a beautiful woman with horns and batlike wings.

Lasaraleen Knowledge: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21
Silgil Knowledge: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27
Atum Knowledge: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (8) + 21 = 29

Lasaraleen, Silgil, and Atum recognize this creature as a Succubus, a demon from the Abyss. Silgil and Atum both know that these demons have a number of spell-like abilities to influence minds, including Suggestion and Dominate Person. Atum additionally knows that they can drain the life out of mortals with a kiss.

Veshkahz tries to bite the succubus! But because he is Tiny, she gets an AOO first. And she lacks Knowledge (Planes), so cannot recognize Veshkahz as a Div, and so doesn't know that she can't breach his DR except on a crit with great damage rolls.
Claw AOO: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (12) + 11 = 23
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Her claws cannot pierce his fiendish hide.

How... how do fiends not have Knowledge (Planes)? She can't identify the lowliest Dretch nor the mightiest Balor.

Bite: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12
He tries without success to bite her.

Atum is up for the surprise round (one standard or move action only), then we will go to Round 1 and I will post an initiative tracker.

"Well, my dear, you are far more graceful on land than I am.
I must admit it would be rather embarrassing to flop around to get closer to you."

Neither Atum nor anybody else senses any deception in her words.

Veshtahz asks Atum, "What do you wish me to do? Can I eat the fish-woman?"

Doodle is confident that this mermaid is telling the truth.

It’s a short, but grueling, 3 mile hike from the river to the entrance of the Drowning Stones. You make about 1/2 mile per hour through the jungle, so it would be a six-hour hike. Based on Lang's information, Lasaraleen would stop to cast Air Walk and Magic Circle Against Evil once you are a quarter-mile from the site.

After about five hours - so still a half-mile from the Drowning Stones - you encounter something else. There is the sound of a river, and in particular the thunder of a huge waterfall. Given the winding paths, it is not clear exactly how far away it is. It might take you twenty minutes to actually reach the river, or five. You keep walking until the river comes into sight.

Map is up. The fact that there is a map does not mean there has to be a fight, of course.

On a rock, not far from the river, sits a beautiful figure with the upper body of a woman and a the tail of a fish.

Tere, Atum, and Silgil can identify this as a Mermaid. For the benefit of the others, and because it is what he would do, Lang starts screaming "The mermaid! That's her!"

She pays almost no mind to Lang's outburst, instead addressing the party.
"My... what an impressive group! Pathfinders, I expect?
I see you have captured that horrible Aspis agent who attacked my friends.
Please, I beg of you, approach that I may reward you."

GM Aldizog wrote:

Silgil continues to carry the bag with the stone for the whole three hours to the site?

Since one of the questions was not whether the bag would protect him, then yes, he will carry it. Plan B would have been to have Lang carry it but Silgil foolishly feels secure in the fact that the stone is in another dimension. not that strapping it to Lang would necessarily help.

Unfortunately, that was not one of the questions that Atum requested Veshtahz to ask. I went by Atum's post of the six questions.

"The smelly dwarf is prepared for everything!" the fiendish familiar howls with delight.
"Manacles... so useful for imprisoning those with hands. Haha! Veshtahz has no hands.
But you can manacle hands to a whipping post and then flay Lang alive! Good idea! Yes! Manacles are so good.
Who has whip?
Whip?"
The fiendish familiar, the disembodied head that is literally made of evil, appears somewhat dejected when it appears that flaying Lang is not in the plan.
"Fine. No flaying... yet. Flaying later."

Lang, meanwhile, offers some confused babbling protests but meekly accepts his fate.

Silgil continues to carry the bag with the stone for the whole three hours to the site?

The heat of the day grows as Veshtahz, deep in a trance, contacts his lord and master Ahriman for the answers that you seek.

You take cover in the shade of the trees while Veshtahz continues to Commune. It helps a bit.

After ten minutes, the disembodied head's eyes open, but they are rolled back and all you can see are the whites. An unnaturally resonant voice comes forth, sounding like Veshtahz's voice overlaid with something much larger.

"No."
"No."
"Yes."
"Yes."
"No."
At the sixth question, the dual voice erupts in roaring laughter.

Booming, resonant, and distorted, it bellows "ɎƎ∫… Øβ∟│Ʌ│ʘͶ"
The laughter continues, then fades.

The spell ends. Veshtahz, back to his normal self, announces "Master, I must tell you that Ahriman, Lord of All Divs, was most amused by your final question. He often wonders if it would be more comforting to mortals to believe that there is Fate and a plan to everything, or to believe that there is free will. He requests that I clarify in case it was unclear. While your actions are your own, and may change the course of your trivial and pathetic lives, your ultimate and unavoidable fate is oblivion. With respect, Master. Veshtahz is wholly devoted to you and acknowledges that your life is much less trivial and pathetic than those of your companions."

--

"It is about three hours from here to the Stones," Lang advises. "We should avoid the worst of the mid-day heat by traveling through the shade of the jungle."

I would rule that a Div's Commune contacts Ahriman. Unlike Contact Other Plane, you do not get to choose who you contact with Commune (it is always your deity or agents thereof), but on the upside they always answer truthfully within the limits of their knowledge, and you don't suffer mental stat drain.

The fiendish familiar is eager to perform this service.

"Yes, master! The great god Ahriman knows all secrets. Command me to speak to him."

Overall, several aspects of this scenario are written as "story-first" rather than "mechanics-first."

That tends to mean a good deal of GM discretion is required. I will attempt to do so in a manner that makes this an enjoyable and dramatic game for everybody.